Suspended
by suzifluzie
Summary: Warrick and Sara are forced to spend a little extra time with each other in an elevator. it's more original than it sounds.


Suspended  
by suzifluzie  
  
disclaimer: the usual, nothing here belongs to me except the particular sequences of words.  
notes: I hate it that Warrick and Sara didn't get along at the beginning, so this is just my version of a bonding experience they should have had.  
apologies: in advance for the format, I can't get the tabs to stay, or to get the page thinner so that the paragraphs work better. If you have any advice feel free to share it with me. thanks.  
  
"Hold the door!" yelled Sara as she made the final dash for the elevator. In the last second a hand shot out, saving just enough room for her to squeeze through. "Thanks."  
"No problem."  
She looked up in surprise. Figures. The one person she had been trying to avoid. "Hey Warrick, what are you doing here?"  
"Same thing you are," she stared at him in confusion and he sighed, "The seminar. Grissom sent me as well."  
"Oh."   
The awkward silence that followed made her cringe inwardly. The elevator started to move up. She glanced at the numbers; yup he'd already punched in floor 23. This was going to be a long ride. Sara leaned against the wall. A glance at the numbers again, were they only at 5? When had this elevator been built anyway? Her grandmother could walk up stairs faster than this.   
She risked a glance at her companion; he was gazing at the floor. Things had really been weird between them since Grissom had gotten her to spy on him again. Just when a hint of friendship seemed possible, she had to bring them back to square one. It was worse than that even, because this time she'd proven to him what a backstabber she could be. Granted, she didn't choose the situation, but she did follow through, and it really was her fault.  
The lights flickered and the elevator started to hum funnily. She glanced sharply at Warrick, but he still wasn't meeting her gaze. Whatever. All she had to do was get through the next few hours.  
The humming intensified and with a final lurch the elevator gave up. The lights flickered a few more times and followed suit.  
Great, this is just great, Sara thought. Take the most awkward situation imaginable and times it by twenty. Wait! The penlight! She scrounged in her purse till she found her treasure and turned it on.  
The meagre beam barely illuminated a foot in front of it, but hopefully that's all she'd need. Sara turned to the panel and began to examine it.  
"I'm sorry," Warrick interrupted her concentration. "But what exactly are you hoping to accomplish there?"  
"I'm curious."  
"But what can this possibly gain you. You don't think that you can fix this elevator with your flashlight do you? Or maybe with your will?"  
Sara frowned at him. Honestly, he was taking this too far. What ever happened to cool indifference?  
"I don't know," she replied curtly. "I just want it to go again."  
Warrick glanced at her. Funny that she should say that. And there seemed to be a hint of desperation in her tone. Could Sara be afraid of the dark? Or maybe she was claustrophobic? Or maybe both. This could be one of the most satisfying moments of his life.  
"Shining your light on the floor you want to get to will not accomplish that."  
Sara had to admit that he had a point. She let her penlight travel over the elevator. What was that? A screen in the ceiling. So she wasn't completely trapped in. She rummaged in her purse again, successfully pulling a screwdriver out.  
"Confused here," Warrick declared, "Why do you carry a screwdriver in your purse?"  
"You never know what you're going to need," she admonished. "And obviously, this is the case now."  
"What case now? What are you going to use the screwdriver on?"  
"That," she proclaimed, aiming her light in the general direction of the screen.  
"Why?"  
"That's our way out."  
"Again with the confused here," Warrick said. "But what makes you think that we're going to get out that way, and that I agree to go along with this ridiculous notion of yours. If we just wait here the elevator's bound to start soon."  
OK, she hadn't counted on so much resistance. But this situation was making her decidedly edgy. She just couldn't stand enclosed spaces. It wasn't fear exactly, she just felt like she didn't have control over her situation anymore. She got all tense and anxious and... There was no way that she was going to unravel in front of Warrick. She had to get out. Now.  
"What makes you think," she tried to reason. "That the city, in all its infinite power, will be able to fix this power shortage, or whatever it is, anytime soon. They can't even handle garbage collecting half the time."  
He could see her getting more and more worked up. He better just help her. Was he giving her a break? What was wrong with him? She'd double-crossed him and nearly made him lose his job!  
"OK, what do you need me to do?"  
She gave a sigh of relief. "I need a boost so that I can unscrew that grate. Then we're going to climb out of here." He seemed to hesitate. "It's OK, I've seen it done on TV."  
He barked out a laugh. Well this was a whole new side of her. There was one problem though, if he tried to boost her up with his hands, he wouldn't be able to hold her stable, or for any period of time for that matter. Sara seemed to read his thoughts and motioned to his back. Ahh, the old piggyback trick. She jumped on his back and reached for the grate.  
"Uh, Warrick, slight problem."  
"What?"  
"I can't reach it."  
Hell no. She could not be suggesting that. He would not do it.  
"OK, get on my shoulders."  
"Oops... sorry," Sara grunted as she none too gracefully scaled Warrick's frame. "Sorry again...OK, I can reach it now."  
She began unscrewing the screen and before long it came loose. She held on to it and lowered it slowly, careful that it didn't fall on either of them. "Done, can you take this from me?"  
Warrick took the screen from her and Sara grabbed onto the edges of the opening and pulled herself through. Warrick witnessed her legs disappearing only to have her hear pop back overhead. "Come on," she said. "Give me your hand."  
"There is no way that you can get me up there!"  
Sara smiled, "Don't prejudge."  
She extended her hand and Warrick gripped it firmly. "On the count of three...one...two...three." Halfway through the final number Warrick jumped at the same time Warrick pulled up. A few seconds of wild hanging later he was safe. He quickly pulled himself through as well.  
"Now what?"  
Sara paused, "I don't know. I hadn't really thought of it past this part."  
They looked around themselves. The penlight revealed that they were in a dark, vertical tunnel. The elevator they were standing on was blocking their view down, and it seemed to go up infinitely. A ladder ran along the side of one wall. Where had the elevator stopped? The seventh floor maybe?  
"I think there's a room at the top that attaches to the elevator shaft," offered Sara. "We should be able to get out there."  
"How do you know that?"  
"TV again, you know, opening scene of Speed?"  
"Gotcha," Warrick said as he stared at the daunting task ahead of them. "After you."  
  
"My god, it's been hours!" exclaimed Sara. "I can't go on."  
"Hey, it was your idea, there is no way that we're giving up here. Besides, I think we're closer to the top than the elevator now anyway."  
"I can't, I lost feeling in my arms a while ago, and now they're not responding." She made a show of trying to swing her arm up a rung unsuccessfully."  
"I'm stuck behind you and I'm not going to just hang around. Move."  
"I already told you," Sara said through her teeth. "I can't."  
"I'll pinch your legs."  
"You wouldn't dare!"  
"Hey, you got us into this mess, I'm just doing what it takes to get us out."  
"Ow! OK, OK, I'm going...............OW!"  
  
Sara hauled herself over the last rung and sprawled on the ground, Warrick right behind her.  
"I love solid ground," she panted. "Honestly, I'll never overlook the beauty in floor again."  
"Come on, we can't just lie here."  
"Yeah, we kinda can."  
"Seriously, lets get out of here. I'm kind of sick of this building."  
"I'm with you on that one."  
They helped each other up and looked around for the door, there it was, off in the shadows. They staggered to it, supporting each other.  
"You realize," Warrick pointed out. "That now we have to get back down. By stairs."  
Sara groaned and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "Tell ya what," she offered. "At the end of this we relax and celebrate with a pizza and movie at my place."  
"Sounds good. That might just get me through this nightmare."  
  
  
  
  
Well, that's that. Thanks for bearing with me and feel free to review. 


End file.
